Magnetic dart game having energizable signals



H. J. VOLMAN July 14, 1953 MAGNETIC DART GAME HAVING ENERGIZABLE SIGNALS Filed Dec. 20

Patented July 14, 1953 MAGNETIC DART GAME HAVING ENERGIZABLE SIGNALS Harold J. Volman, Cicero, 111., assignor to Toy Enterprises of America, Inc., a corporation of- Illinois Application December 20, 1950, Serial No. 201,765

6 Claims. 1

My invention relates to dart games having an electrical switch mechanism, and, in particular, to dart games in which magnetic darts are used,

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a dart game having switch mechanism in which the darts used in playing the game are also used to close the switch,

Another of the objects of my invention is to provide a dart game with a board having scoring indicia and a switch mechanism, and in the playing of which the closing of the switch circuit depends upon the skill of the player.

A further object of my invention is to provide a dart game having a target board with scoring indicia thereon and a switch mechanism connected to a source of electrical power and an energizable signal, and in which the darts ordinarily used in the dart game may be used to close the switch circuit and energize the signal.

These and other objects, advantages and capabilities of the invention will become apparent from the followin description and accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the target board with r the parts secured to the rear thereof shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 2' is a fragmentary portion of the rear of the target board showing a battery holder, insulating block and connections to the switch;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken along the lines 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing the switch contacts in' open position;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but in which the switch contacts are shown in closed position and held in such position by a magnetic dart; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-section taken along the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 1, the numeral Ill designates a target board which may be made of magnetically susceptible material of any appropriate size, and which contains scoring indicia l2 and other characters, such, for instance, as an animal M to enhance the appearance and scoring characteristics of the game. The embellishments on the face of the target board may take any form, as the type of game disclosed herein lends itself to adaptation in playing many different types of games.

In Fig. 1 are also shown darts l6 of the magnetic type having flight stabilizing means I8 and a magnetized head 20. Magnetic darts of the kind shown and described in my Patent No.

' lit 2 2,477,531, issued July 26, 1949, are preferable for the type of game described herein.

Spaced from the front face of the target board I!) is a relatively thin flexible current-conducting plate 22, having an ear 24 with an opening therein. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, this plate 22 is secured through the car 24 to the target board H) by means of a bolt 26 and a nut 28. The plate 22, the bolt 26, and the nut 28 are insulated from contact with the target board If] by means of insulators 3|]. These insulators may be in the form of discs and may be made of any insulating material, such as mica or rubber; and one of these discs is preferably of a grommet type to insulate the portion of the bolt 26 extending through the opening in the target board [0 from the edges thereof. The insulating material 30 between the rear of the plate 22 and the front face of the board II] should be thick enough to normally hold the flexible plate 22 out of contact with the face of the target board 10, and should be thin enough to permit the plate to bend inwardly into contact with the target board under the influence of the magnetic attraction of the head of the magnetic dart when placed upon the plate 22.

The portion of the target board immediately behind the plate 22 is preferably unpainted to present an area for electrical contact between the target board and the plate 22. Attached securely to the bolt 26 by means of a nut 32 is a current conductor in the form of a wire 34, one end of which is placed in contact with one of the contact points of a signal to be energized. It is obvious in a game of this type, where an electrical circuit containing a signal is to be closed by a dart, that the signal to be energized may take many forms, such, for instance, as a bell and buzzer or a light. In the drawing herein I have chosen to illustrate as a signal a small electric light bulb of the flash-light type, As shown in Figs. 2 and 5, one end of the wire 34 is placed in contact with the shank portion of the light bulb, which shank forms one of the contacts for the bulb.

Referring now specifically to Fig. 2, there is shown a block 38 of insulating material secured to the back of the target board ID by appropriate fastenin means, such as rivets 4t. Mounted upon the insulating block 38 is a battery case or holder 42 made of plastic Or other non-conducting material. This battery holder is of a size to hold one or more small dry cell batteries 44 in such a way that one of the electrodes of the battery, in this case the positive, extends out beyond the front end of the battery holder, and the other electrode, in this case the negative electrode housing 48, extends out beyond the rear of the battery holder.

Secured to and in contact with the target board II] is a metal bracket 50, having one arm thereof extending in a plane parallel to the target board and the other arm 52 extending in a plane perpendicular to the target board a distance approximately equal to the distance between the top of the battery holder 42 and the target board l0. Pivoted to and in contact with the arm 52 is a contact blade 54.

Referring to Fig. 5, there is shown adjacent the front end of the battery holder 42 a metal contact bracket consisting of one arm 56 secured to the insulating block 38, and extending in a plane parallel therewith, a second arm 58 extending in a plane perpendicular to the arm 56 for a distance approximately equal to the distance between the top of the battery case 42 and the insulating block 38, and a third contact arm 60 extending in a plane parallel to the arm 56 and forwardly of the battery holder 42.

As shown in Fig. l, the target board i has an opening therein to receive snugly a translucent plastic or glass light diffusing cap t2. Carried between this cap 62 and the contact arm 60 is a small electric light bulb of the flash light type, with its base contact point {it in contact with the arm 69. The light diffusing cap 82 may be omitted, however, and the light bulb may be permitted to extend through the opening in the target board ll].

As shown in Fig. 2, the contact blade may be pivoted away from the battery holder 42, and one or more batteries 1 may then be inserted into the battery holder 22 and the blade 55 returned to contact the housing which constitutes the negative electrode 33 of the battery. The bracket 58 and upstanding arm 52 are so positioned that when the contact blade 54 is in position against the end 48 of the battery it acts as a stressed, cantilever spring to bias the batteries within the holder against the upstanding arm es, insuring good electrical contact between the blade 54, the arm 58, and the negative and positive electrodes of the battery. I g

It will thus be seen that the series circuit described above extends from plate 22 through bolt 26, conductor 34, the light bulb, contact arm 60, arm 58, batteries 4t, blade 55 to the board It], and hence back to the unpainted part of the board it beneath the plate 22. Thus by causing plate 22 to contact the unpainted portion of board I t the light bulb will be illuminated.

In playing the game magnetic darts are thrown by the players toward the scoring indicia on the target board, the object being to throw as ace curately as possible so that the magnetic darts may adhere to the metal plate 22, which usually indicates the highest scoring position. Fig. 3 shows the plate 22 in the out of contact position with the magnetic head of a magnetic dart approaching it. When a player has accomplished the objective of hitting the plate 22, the magnetic head of the dart will adhere to the switch plate. Since this switch plate is relatively thin and flexible the momentum of the dart IE will carry the switch plate against the board I i}. The magnetic field of the head of the dart will pass through the plate to the magnetically susceptible target board and cause'the plate, as shown in Fig. i, to be held in contact with the target board, thereby completing the circuit and lighting the 4 electric bulb. As soon as the magnetic dart is removed for use by the next player the plate returns to its normal position spaced from the target board, as shown in Fig. 3, thereby opening the circuit and extinguishing the light.

In operation it is not essential that the whole of thehead 20 of the magnetic dart be within the area defined by the plate 22, in order to complete the circuit, since the magnetic dart will operate to complete the circuit if any portion of the head of the dart comes in contact with the plate 22. The switch plate 22 is illustrated as a generally circular plate, but it is obvious that this plate may take many forms and may be larger or smaller, depending upon the makers wishes as to the skill required in hitting the switch plate.

It will thus be seen that I have invented a novel switch arrangement for use with dart boards, wherein the skill of the player in throwing the magnetic darts onto a relatively small target plate will result in energizing a signal, and a game in which the dart may be used to close an electrical circuit. The feature or" providing additional entertainment and test of skill to a dart game by the incorporation therein of a signal which may be energized depending upon the skill of the player, adds great enjoyment to a game of this type.

Obviously the invention is not limited to the specific details of construction disclosed herein, but is capable of other modifications and changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A dart game having a magnetically susceptible target board with an opening therein and having an electrical contact area, darts having magnetized heads adapted to adhere to said target board, a battery having two electrodes, one of said electrodes being in electrical contact with said contact area of said target board, lightemitting means positioned to transmit light through said opening, and a switch insulated from said target board and connected through said light-emitting means to the other of said electrodes of said battery, said switch comprising a flexible metal plate secured in spaced relationship to the contact area of said target board and adapted to be drawn into contact with the con- :tact area of said target board by the magnetic force of the magnet head of one of said darts to energize said light-emitting means.

2. A dartgame comprising a magneticall susceptible andelectrically conductive target board having a playing face, a source of electrical energy, a signal means, a resilient electrically conductive plate insulated from and secured in spaced relationship to the face of said board, said board, source of electrical energy, signal means, and plate comprising a series electrical circuit, which is normally open due to said plate being out of electrical contact with said board, and a magnetic dart adapted to adhere to said board, said plate being forced into electrical contact with said board to close said circuit by a dart thrown against said plate and retained in electrical contact with said board by magnetic forces set up between the dart and the board, said plate being normally held out of contact with said board by the resiliency of said plate when darts are not bearing against said plate.

3. A dart game comprising a target board having a magnetically susceptible contact on the face thereof, an electrical circuit including said contact, a magnetically susceptible switch plate mounted on said board and displaced from said contact, said switch plate being connected in said circuit, and darts having magnetic heads adapted when appropriately directed at said target board to move said plate into retained engagement with said contact.

4. A dart game comprising a target board having a magnetically susceptible contact on the face thereof, an electrical circuit including said contact, a signal means included in said circuit, a magnetically susceptible switch plate mounted on said board and displaced from said contact, said switch plate being connected in said circuit, and darts having magnetic heads adapted when appropriately directed at said target board to move said plate into retained engagement with said contact to energize said signal means.

5. A dart game comprising a target board hav ing a magnetically susceptible contact on the face thereof, an electrical circuit includin said contact, light emitting means in said circuit, a magnetically susceptible switch plate mounted on said board and displaced from said contact, said switch plate being connected in said circuit, and darts having magnetic heads adapted when appropriately directed at said target board to move said plate into retained engagement with said contact to energize said light emitting means.

6. A dart game comprising a target board having a magnetically susceptible contact on the face thereof, and electrical circuit including a battery having two electrodes one of said electrodes being connected to said contact, a ma netically susceptible switch plate mounted on said board and insulated from said contact, said switch plate being connected in said circuit to the other of said electrodes, a signal means connected in said electrical circuit, and darts having magnetic heads adapted when appropriately directed at said target board to move said plate into retained engagement with said contact to close said electrical circuit and energize said signal means.

HAROLD J. VOLMAN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,040,228 Whiteley May 12, 1936 2,165,147 Moss July 4, 1939 2,477,531 Volman July 26, 1949 2,523,773 Metzger Sept. 26, 19 0 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 465,165 Great Britain Apr. 30, 1937 505,076 Great Britain May 1, 1939 

